The Return of Absent Souls (After The Rift Book 6)

by C. J. Archer

  “How did they get out?” I muttered. “There’s always a guard posted there.”

  “The question isn’t how,” Balthazar said. “The question is, why? Why did someone release them? Because they did not escape on their own. They had outside help.”

  Hailia and Merdu, he was right. “The Deerhorns must have done it,” I said.

  Flickering torchlight up ahead signaled the approach of another party. “This way,” came a man’s voice. “It’s through here.”

  Brisk footsteps tapped on the flagstones and a shadow appeared on the wall of an adjoining corridor.

  “Halt!” Zeke said. “Identify yourself!”

  A chuckle echoed off the walls. The footsteps didn’t break stride and a figure emerged from the other corridor. Torchlight lit up the tangled gray hair and dirty features of Kai, one of the escapees.

  “Arrest him!” Zeke ordered the two guards alongside him.

  “Wait!” I said. But it was too late. The two guards lowered their swords to grab the unarmed Kai, grinning at them like a madman.

  Just as they accosted him, two swordsmen dressed in black with cloths covering their lower faces emerged from the darkness and struck down the guards. Kai removed a knife from his belt and raised it. He ran at Zeke. Zeke struck him, felling him before he’d got too far, but the action meant he was not in the right position to fend off the attack from the swordsmen.

  A sword ran him through and he fell before the three guards who’d been behind us could reach him.

  The remaining guards engaged the two attackers, but when another two came out of the dark corridor, they were outnumbered.

  I grabbed Balthazar’s arm while reaching into my pocket for my knife with my other hand. “Back to your office.”

  He didn’t move. “We can’t outrun them.”

  I followed his gaze to see one of our guards fall. The remaining two could not hold off for much longer. “We have to try!”

  Even before the words had left my mouth, another figure rushed out of the darkness. Lord Xavier! His twisted grin split his face as he came at me, knife raised. The blade shone in the torchlight, momentarily blinding me, but not before I saw the look in his eyes. I would never forget it. It was one of triumph, ecstasy, and pure evil. I’d seen evil before, but I’d never seen such thrill at the taste of it. He knew he had us. We were trapped.

  I pushed Balthazar, urging him to leave me. I must block Lord Xavier from getting to him. Balthazar and the last wish had to be protected at all costs. If Lord Xavier killed him, he would inherit the sorcerer’s magic.

  But Balthazar wouldn’t budge. He was shouting. We were all shouting, even Lord Xavier, as his blade descended.

  I went to dodge it, but Lord Xavier kicked out. His booted foot smashed into my thigh. I slammed into the wall, hitting my shoulder hard against the unforgiving stones.

  I didn’t fall, however, and quickly recovered. My thigh and shoulder burned with pain, but that didn’t matter. None of it mattered. Lord Xavier was raising his knife above a cowering Balthazar’s head. Balthazar tried to strike him with the walking stick, but Lord Xavier batted it away.

  “Wish for him to leave us alone!” I shouted at Balthazar.

  A movement near the entrance to the other corridor caught my attention. All our guards lay dead and Lady Deerhorn was stepping over their bodies. Her smile was as slick as her son’s. The last wish was within their grasp and they knew it.

  “Do it!” she screeched.

  Lord Xavier stabbed Balthazar in the stomach.

  Balthazar clutched at the protruding knife as he slipped to the floor, his lips moving but no sound coming out. He fell into a crumpled heap and his eyes fluttered closed. His hand fell away from the knife handle as blood soaked his clothing.

  My scream filled the corridor.

  But through it, I could hear Lord Xavier’s joyous cry. “I can feel it! I can feel the magic, Mother. The wish is mine!”

  Chapter 16

  “Do it!” Lady Deerhorn cried. “Do it now! Get the gem and make the wish!”

  Lord Xavier could not be allowed to get his hands on the gem. He could not speak the words. I lunged at him, my knife raised to strike.

  He shoved me in the chest. I struck the wall again, the back of my head smacking into the stones. Dizziness swamped me.

  Lord Xavier fell to his knees and rifled through Balthazar’s pocket. He pulled out his hand, the gem enclosed in his fist. I lurched towards him. The room spun. My legs buckled. I fell to my hands and knees as black spots danced before my eyes.

  “I wish for my family to be the most powerful on the Fist Peninsula, now and forever.” The words rushed from Lord Xavier’s mouth as clear as day.

  He laughed, tipping his head back, and let out a whoop. His mother clasped his face in her hands. I had never seen her smile a proper, happy smile. It was like her son’s, all twisted cruel joy.

  “We’ve done it,” she said. “We have done it!”

  Grief, anger and desperation propelled me towards them. I lunged but Lord Xavier caught my wrist and overpowered me. My knife clattered onto the flagstones. He pinned me to the wall, his fingers clasping my face like a vice and digging into my jaw.

  “You will regret fighting me, my pet,” he spat. “But I regret nothing because now your punishment will be all the sweeter.”

  He let me go only to press himself against me, keeping me trapped against the wall. His breath reeked, his body’s stench enveloped me. I wanted to throw up. I tried twisting my face away to avoid his kiss.

  His vile wet mouth descended.

  A cough saved me from the revolting fate. It came from Balthazar.

  He was alive!

  Lord Xavier let me go and spun around to see Balthazar staring up at him from the floor. He clutched the knife protruding from his stomach and his beard twitched with his attempted smile.

  “What is this?” Lady Deerhorn spat at her son. “You said you felt the magic! You don’t possess it if he’s not dead.”

  Lord Xavier opened his fist to reveal the stone in his palm. It was just an ordinary stone, not the gem. “Where is it?” he growled.

  “Gone,” Balthazar whispered.

  “Don’t talk,” I urged him. “Save your strength.”

  I took a step towards him, but Lady Deerhorn blocked my path. She pressed the point of my surgical knife to my throat. “Give us the gem,” she said through gritted teeth. “Or Miss Cully dies.”

  “I can’t give you the gem if I wanted to,” Balthazar gasped out. “I don’t know where it is.”

  “Who does know? Who did you give it to?”

  He swallowed. “The sorcerer.”

  “What?” she exploded.

  “Only the sorcerer knows where it is.”

  It suddenly dawned on me what he was saying. “You’ve used the third wish,” I said.

  He blinked up at me. “Why do you think the lords all agreed to Dane’s republic so easily? Even Lord Deerhorn.”

  “You wished for that?” Lady Deerhorn screeched.

  He fought for a breath. “I wished for them to agree to whatever Dane wanted. If that was a republic or him as king…”

  That meant he’d used the third wish yesterday. He’d known all this time and not told us. “Why didn’t you say?” I asked.

  “To draw them out. Dane will arrest them now for treason, murder…”

  He winced in pain. I tried to go to him, but Lady Deerhorn shoved her arm into my chest, pinning me against the wall as her son had done. I couldn’t fight him off, but I could fight her.

  I struck out and punched her in the stomach. The pressure on my chest lightened and I was able to sweep her arm aside, pushing the blade away from my throat. I struck a quick blow into her wrist and another at her throat.

  She let go of the knife and fell to her knees, coughing and grasping her throat. I picked up the knife and used it to ward off Lord Xavier and their swordsmen.

  “Get back, or I will cut you.”


  He bared his teeth and lunged at me. With a flick of my wrist, the blade sliced his cheek. He hissed and clutched at his face. “You bitch! Get her!” he ordered the mercenaries.

  I backed away from the approaching swordsmen. “Someone will have heard the commotion and sent guards,” I warned them. “You won’t have much time to escape. It’s over for the Deerhorns, but you can still get out of here alive if you go now.”

  They needed no more urging and sprinted off down one of the corridors.

  “Get back here!” Lady Deerhorn shouted. “Your work is not finished!”

  They continued on.

  I fell to my knees near Balthazar. “I’m going to remove the knife, but the moment it comes out, I must put pressure on the wound. This will hurt.”

  “It’s all right, Josie,” he rasped. “I’m old. You know I cannot survive this.”

  I wrapped my hands around the handle, but his suddenly widening eyes had me turning around, expecting to see Lord Xavier or Lady Deerhorn coming at me again.

  But it was Dane and Theodore, followed by Erik and Quentin. I had not heard their footsteps. The look on Dane’s face was one of deep anxiety.

  “Josie?” His voice sounded strangled.

  “Help me.” I turned back to Balthazar. “We need to stop the bleeding.”

  He knelt beside me and wrapped his hand around the blade handle. I pressed down against the sides of the wound and nodded.

  I tried to block out Balthazar’s groan of agony as Dane removed the blade. To my utter relief, it appeared as though the knife hadn’t been thrust to the hilt. The extra layers of clothing Balthazar wore due to the colder weather had stopped it entering all the way.

  “Tear off some of my underskirt,” I instructed Dane. “Long lengths to bandage him.”

  He did as told while I continued to press down. I didn’t want to release the pressure until I knew the bleeding was slowing so there was nothing to do but wait and keep Balthazar comfortable.

  Theodore came into view as he knelt on Balthazar’s other side. Balthazar closed his eyes and rested his head on Theodore’s lap.

  “Bal?” Theodore whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks.

  “He’s still breathing,” I said. “Dane, help me bandage him.”

  “Who wielded the knife?” Dane asked as we carefully bandaged the wound.

  I glanced behind me to see the Deerhorns standing very still, swords pointed at their throats. Quentin and Erik looked as though they’d be glad to ram them through. Dane only had to say the word.

  “Lord Xavier, but I’m sure it was under his mother’s instruction,” I said.

  “Execute him,” he said to his men.

  “No!” I cried, as Balthazar’s eyes flew open.

  Erik and Quentin obeyed me, but those sword points had drawn blood from the soft flesh. Lord Xavier was shaking, his breathing rapid. Lady Deerhorn’s chin lifted in defiance, but her eyes filled with worry.

  “Josie, if he dies…” Dane said gently.

  “The third wish has been used,” I told him. “There are no more to inherit. The gem has already vanished.” I nodded at the stone now lying on the floor, forgotten. “Bal used that to trick them.”

  Dane blew out a deep breath as he studied the ceiling. “Thank the god and goddess.”

  “It’s over,” I said.

  He looked to Balthazar, so pale and frail in Theodore’s arms. He rested a hand on my arm. “Will you be all right while I escort them with Erik and Quentin? I’ll send men back to help with Bal.”

  I nodded and attempted a smile. I wanted to reassure him that Balthazar would be all right, but I couldn’t.

  “Take them to the prison cells,” Dane ordered his men.

  “The cells!” Lord Xavier cried. “You can’t do that! The cells are for commoners.”

  Dane nodded at Erik who grabbed Lord Xavier’s arm and marched him along the corridor.

  Quentin took hold of Lady Deerhorn, but she shook him off. “You will regret this,” she snarled at me. “When I tell them you’ve been doctoring, there’ll be no escaping severe punishment for a repeat offence. Let us go and I will keep quiet.”

  “Not doctoring,” Dane said. “Merely doing what anyone would do and try to stop the bleeding.” He gave me a slight shake of his head, warning me to not help Balthazar or give medical advice while they watched on.

  But I would not be intimidated by her anymore. She had no more power over me and I wanted her to see that, to know it deep in her bones. I stood and approached her. Quentin shifted his stance, nervous about me getting within her reach.

  “Don’t be afraid, Quentin,” I said. “She isn’t armed and she has no capacity to hurt me.”

  “You vulgar little whore!” she spat.

  I smiled. “And you are a greedy, cold, hateful woman who got the moronic, revolting son she deserved. From now on, you’ll get everything else you deserve too. Oh, and you might like to know that thanks to my medical knowledge, Balthazar will recover. Your son couldn’t even thrust a blade all the way into an unarmed old man.”

  Up ahead, Lord Xavier tried to wrench free of Erik. The Marginer punched him in the stomach. Lord Xavier bent over, coughing.

  “Stay quiet or I will cut your other cheek,” Erik said.

  “I will tell everyone that you used your doctoring,” Lady Deerhorn said in a guttural growl.

  I shrugged. “Who will care? The governor has resigned, the sheriff is on notice, and you heard Balthazar. The lords and ministers will do what Dane wants.”

  Dane’s brows drew together, but he didn’t ask for more information.

  “No one will take your side anymore,” I went on. “I’ll be surprised if your husband keeps the estate after this. The other noblemen might wish to see him stripped of all privileges. Nor would I expect him to visit you in prison. It’s quite disgusting down there. Don’t worry. I’ll see that you and Xavier don’t starve. I’ll ask the cook to prepare something special, just for the two of you. I hope you like offal.”

  “You bitch! Whore! Witch!” The echoes of her screams continued to drift back to us long after Erik and Quentin marched them away.

  I drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly, then I knelt alongside Balthazar again. I took his wrist and felt his pulse. It was weak, the beats slow. The bandage was already soaked with blood. I pressed my lips together to suppress my crying, but tears escaped anyway. I didn’t want to look at Theodore. He would most likely be worse.

  “Don’t cry,” Balthazar whispered.

  “Shhh, save your breath,” I said, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.

  “After I tell you that I’m proud of you, my girl. So proud.” His eyelids drifted closed again.

  Balthazar slept in his bed in a Mother’s Milk induced slumber, the covers hiding his heavily bandaged middle. I’d cleaned the cut and inspected it. The blade had missed all vital organs, thankfully, but he’d lost a lot of blood. Theodore helped me stitch the wound. He’d insisted on locking the door, claiming he didn’t want anyone disturbing Balthazar. I think he was more worried about one of the dukes or nobles walking in and seeing me performing a task that only a doctor should do.

  Neither Theodore nor I would leave Balthazar’s side until Dane returned. He brought Max and Meg with him. One of the guards had ridden to Mull to bring them back in case the worst happened. They would both want to be here if it did.

  They gazed at Balthazar, lying motionless in bed, then pinned stricken looks upon me.

  “He’s alive,” I whispered. “But very weak.”

  Dane signaled for me and the others to join him. Theodore shook his head and remained in the bedchamber. Outside in the service corridor, Dane leaned back against the wall. He looked exhausted.

  “Have the remaining escapees been recaptured?” I asked.

  “They’re back in the cells.” He indicated the bedchamber door. “What are his chances?”

  “It’s too soon to tell.”

  “What happened
?” Meg asked. “The guard knew so little, only that the Deerhorns stabbed him to get the wish.”

  “They have to be executed,” Max said darkly.

  “They might be yet, if Balthazar doesn’t live,” Dane said. “I’ve spoken to the justice minister. He says attempted murder doesn’t hold the death penalty, but it will see them sent to a prison mine in Freedland.”

  Meg gave a humorless huff. “How ironic.”

  “They killed the guards,” Dane said heavily. “The justice minister says he can push for charges of murder or even treason. Killing the king’s guards is considered an act of violence against the king and therefore treason. But since I am not king, he’s not sure how to proceed.”

  “I meant we have to execute them now, before…” Max nodded at the door. “In case the worst happens and they inherit the third wish.”

  “The third wish is gone,” I said. “Bal used it yesterday to wish for the nobles and advisors to agree to whatever Dane wanted.”

  Meg and Max stared at me, mouths ajar. I laughed, partly with sheer relief that the threat the Deerhorns posed was finally over, and partly because they looked so odd.

  “What do you mean, whatever I want?” Dane asked carefully.

  “I don’t know the exact wording he used for the wish, but it seems he did it so there’d be no opposition to you becoming either the king or interim leader of the republic.”

  “He should not have wished for anything so broad.”

  “You can tell him that when he wakes, but I think he knew what he was doing. Bal doesn’t do things without careful thought first. Besides, he knew he could trust you.”

  Dane grunted and crossed his arms. “Why didn’t he tell us yesterday?”

  “He wanted to draw the Deerhorns out so they would do precisely what they did to him today and be caught in the act. He knew we would try to avoid a violent confrontation by telling the Deerhorns the third wish was used. That would render them harmless, but not see them arrested. He wanted them gone from our lives for good.”